UK comms regulator Ofcom has announced an overarching review of the nation’s digital communications markets, to ensure that communications providers and services continue to meet the needs of consumers and businesses. Ofcom’s Strategic Review of Digital Communications will examine competition, investment, innovation and the availability of products in the broadband, mobile and landline markets. By […]

US consumer advocacy body Consumers Union is heightening its opposition to the proposed merger of Comcast with Time Warner Cable by launching a new ad campaign in support of its efforts to see the deal rejected. It suggests that if the deal gets approved, Comcast would gain unprecedented control over what people see on TV […]

Numericable-SFR reported a 5 per cent slide in 2014 revenue emphasing the need to accelerate the fusion of the two businesses. Sales came in at €11.4 billion, France’s second-largest carrier behind Orange reported, citing pro-forma figures. Stripping out SFR, Numericable’s revenue and earnings jumped but interest payments led to a net loss of €175 million, […]

Grand Prix racing team Williams has agreed in principle a multi-year strategic technology partnership with UK telco BT. The Williams Martini Racing team will use BT’s high performance network services globally, facilitating secure and high speed communication and more effective collaboration between team members. The team’s fixed and mobile voice needs will be brought together […]

Deutsche Telekom is to invest €6 billion in its multi-country network through to 2018, as it plans to offer a standardised platform for mobile, broadband and TV. Timotheus Hoettges, CEO, said at the Mobile World Congress that Deutsche Telekom has now connected the first three of a planned ten countries for its new European network –  […]

Multinational cable and telecommunications company Altice, founded by telecoms entrepreneur Patrick Drahi, has entered into the final agreements with Vivendi regarding the acquisition of the 20 per cent stake Vivendi owns in France’s second-largest telco Numericable-SFR for a price of €40 per share. The transaction carried out via its subsidiary Altice France, and Numericable-SFR, follows […]

Spanish infrastructure company Abertis, which holds stock in satellite operator Hispasat, has bought 90 per cent of the transmissions towers business of telco Wind, in Italy.  Russia’s Vimpelcom holds the remaining 10 per cent. Vimpelcom is the world’s sixth-largest mobile operator with some 214 million subs, mostly in Russia but with 31 per cent of […]

Dubai-based pay-TV operator OSN is teaming up with UAE regional telco du to offer online TV platform OSN Play for free as part of OSN subscriptions on du. Emad Marcos, senior vice president, business development, strategy and digital, OSN, said the partnership would further expand the already-strong reach of OSN Play among UAE residents. “OSN […]

The US’s Federal Communications Commission has followed the lead of President Barack Obama and voted to impose tough new rules for net neutrality, introducing a measure that seems sure to bring a court challenge. The vote – as anticipated along a party-line 3-2 vote – backed Chairman Tom Wheeler’s proposal to reclassify broadband Internet as […]